The Slavia Q&As
1 “Prague” is not enough
We are not “Prague”, we are Slavia as there are plenty professional clubs in Prague (Sparta, Bohemians, Dukla, Viktoria Žižkov and others). Referring Slavia as “Prague” is like saying only “Manchester” or “London” referring Manchester United or Arsenal.
2 "SK", not "FC"
There is no "FC" abbreviation in Slavia full name. The club is called SK Slavia Praha. The "SK" stands for "sportovní klub" (sports club) as Slavia has many more branches - ice hockey, volleyball, basketball, athletics, rugby, futsal or handball above all. "Slavia" is also quite a common name for sports clubs not only in the Czech Republic, but all around the Central and Eastern Europe.
3 Older than you think
We are one of the oldest clubs of continental Europe founded in Prague in 1892.
4 Madden
John William Madden (born in 1865 in Dumbarton, 20 km west of Glasgow), the Scottish footballer who spent most of his career in Celtic became the very first Slavia manager in 1905. He spent 25 years working for the club and is considered to be the man who brought professional football to the Czech Lands. The main stand of Sinobo Stadium was named "J. W. Madden Stand" in his honour in 2017.
John William Madden (bottom left) as Slavia manager in 1910.
5 Oxford
Oxford University A.F.C. were our very first English opponents in 1899. The university club returned to Prague to play the inaugural game at the new Slavia stadium in 2008.
6 Bican
Josef Bican joined the club in 1937 and became Slavia biggest legend. Including friendly and unofficial games, he scored 1,137 goals in the red-white shirt. According to Czech FA official statistics, Bican scored 821 goals during his career which makes him still the most prolific goalscorer of the football history.
7 Red and white
Our red and white shirt with five-pointed red star on the white half is probably the oldest football shirt which is still in use and hasn ´t changed in the course of history. Slavia played their first game in red-white in March 1896 and only between 1953 and 1956 was the club deprived of its colours by order of the communist authorities.
8 No Communism
Our star has nothing in common with communism. Symbol of Communism is a five-pointed star with two points projecting down, Slavia star is reversed. Our club and communism do not match. As one of the symbols of “bourgeois” First Czechoslovak Republic Slavia was persecuted during communist era (1948-1989) and almost ceased to exist in 1950s.
9 Star is not the logo
Talking about the star: Despite being the most visible element on our shirt, technically speaking, it is not the club ´s badge, it is simply integral part of the shirt.
10 “The Stitched”
Slavia nickname “The Stitched ” ( “se š ívaní” in Czech) originates from the shirt itself which has been historically made of two parts sewn together. Even the current shirts are made of two halves.
11 The Fans ´ Chant
After every game - no matter what the result - players gather in front of the fans and sing a special chant together. This tradition started in 2006 and became signature feature of Slavia fans. Words: Red and White - Fighting force - Slavia - Prague - We are always with you - After a win - After a loss - And therefore - Long live Slavia!
Watch the fan ´s chant after a dramatic UEL Quarter-final against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2019
12 Prague Derby
Prague Derby between Slavia and Sparta is the biggest game of Czech football. The first Derby was played in 1896 and since then the two Prague “S” have met in 293 games. Although Sparta have been historically more successful, Slavia haven ´t lost the Derby since March 2016.
13 The Success
Slavia have been one of the most successful European clubs before and after the First World War. In 1938 the red-whites won the Mitropa Cup - predecessor of today ´s Champions League.
14 The Europe
In 1996 Slavia qualified for the semi-final of UEFA Cup eliminating AS Roma in the quarter-final (and losing to Girondins with young Zinedine Zidane). In 2018/19 the red-whites played Europa League quarter-final against Chelsea (0-1 and 3-4) eliminating Sevilla and Genk in knock-out stage. Last season we were drawn to UEFA Champions League "Group of Death" together with Barcelona, Broussia Dortmund and Inter Milan.
15 The Museum
Slavia Museum is located inside the Sinobo Stadium. It opened in 2018 and became the biggest football museum in the Czech Republic. Read more about the artefacts linked to English clubs.
16 Not Sparta
We are Slavia Praha. Not Sparta Praha. Sparta is the other Prague club which competed in UEFA Champions League in 90s and early 2000s. Please, don ´t talk or write about Sparta when Slavia play.
